


Sudden and swift and light

by Anonymous



Category: Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (anthology) - James Tiptree Jr.
Genre: Gen, Rocks Fall Everyone Dies, Sexual Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 20:06:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8937352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Barney's scientific breakthrough works. Kind of.





	

Barney had been elated when, after months of grubbing in the lab and late nights with computer-modeling proteins, he found the antidote to the sex-violence drug. It turned out to be easy enough to produce in mass quantities, and distribution was not a problem once he enlisted the men's rights groups and told them it was woman repellent. A few, less affected than the rest, asked why they needed woman repellent, now that no women dared to show their faces, but most accepted his flimsy story at face value.

As the antidote spread across the world, men suddenly found themselves calmer, their brains clearer. Some clung to their men's-rights groups, but more realized what they had done and were ashamed. Many killed themselves. Those who remained called for the women to come back, now that they were not doomed to be killed whenever a man had a sexual urge.

But there were no women. The women were already all gone. It was perhaps possible that some existed in small pockets here and there, but if so, they did not believe that the men had changed enough to come out.

So, Barney thought, he wouldn't end up saving civilization after all. Humans would die out, and the only difference would be that humanity would know exactly how many sins it had committed before it did so.

But he knew, at least, that he had done good science; and that would have to be enough.


End file.
